“They will also select men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will conduct a search.
Parallel translations
- WEB They shall set apart men of continual employment, who shall pass through the land, and, with those who pass through, those who bury those who remain on the surface of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
- KJV And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
- BSB And men will be employed to continually pass through the land to cleanse it by burying the invaders who remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months they will begin their search.
- NKJV “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.
- NLT “After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Special men are appointed to search out and bury remaining bodies. Even after the main burial, thorough cleansing continues.
Overview
Men are set apart for the continual task of passing through the land, after the seven months, to locate and bury any remains so that the land is fully purified. The diligence pictured here reflects the seriousness with which defilement must be removed from the land where the Lord dwells. It points forward to the complete and final cleansing from defilement that God secures for His people through the redeeming work of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Num 19:11–19“He who touches the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
- Ezek 39:12Seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land.
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Original language
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